3 Dreamy, Winter Bedrooms

Here at Ballard Designs, we base our decorating philosophy on one principal — having a space that reflects your personality. We spend the majority of our lives at home, so why shouldn’t it feel comfortable, inspiring, functional, and reflective of who you are? Often people neglect the rooms guests never see (like bedrooms), and we get it. But what a shame! We want to inspire you to turn your own master bedroom into a dreamy space that’s meant to make you happy and refreshed to take on the world.

The Dark Side

On our recent podcast with interior designer Erika Ward, she talks about the importance of the ‘shell’ of a room. Her theory is that if you don’t have the basics of the space just right (that’s the walls, flooring, ceiling, and light fixtures), then it’s nearly impossible to make the rest of the room feel put together. In other words, the wall color shouldn’t be an afterthought. Well, in this bedroom, we made the walls our ‘wow’ moment by using Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze.

This dark wall color really accentuates the gorgeous lines and whitewash finish of our Laney headboard. Those two opposite pieces, the dark wall and the white curving headboard, create tension and serve as our room’s focal point. And every room needs a focal point.

We dressed the bed in neutral prints like our Thandie Watercolor Printed Bedding to add more subtle pattern without competing with the dark wall color. Then, we chose our Chloe Side Table which has a raffia textured finish that makes it even more beautiful in person than in the photos!

Allover Pattern

One of our favorite decorating strategies for bedrooms is to use one print across the space. That allover pattern creates a super cozy vibe because it totally envelops you, almost turning the pattern into a solid neutral. Here, we used our new Kenzie Herringbone Bedding with coordinating curtains.

As we mentioned on this episode of our podcast, play with shapes when you’re choosing wall decor to go over your bed. For a square headboard, we really prefer something round like a mirror, and for a curved headboard like our Laney, we like something more square. The rounded corners of our Tobacco Basket help soften the square shape, and the wooden texture is a great foil for a dark wall.

Masculine and Feminine Balance

Great rooms are all about balance, and in this all gray bedroom, we played with feminine and masculine accents. We started with super plush and cozy velvet bedding and a tufted headboard in dark grays. Then we brought in more girly pieces like our chinoiserie wall panels and gold accessories. Together, these elements balance each other out.

Our Lucca Velvet Bedding is impossibly cozy, and because it’s heavy, it’ll keep you warm on those chilly winter nights. We can almost guarantee you’ll want to stay in bed all day!

Bedrooms are meant to be retreats from the hustle and bustle of daily life, so no matter your style, we encourage you to create a haven for yourself. You deserve it!

Caroline lives for pairing together patterns, mixing furniture styles, and oogling over our newest furniture pieces. As you can imagine, her little 1920's craftsman is in a constant state of flux. Here on How to Decorate, it's her goal to help you turn your home into your own little slice of paradise.